Chapter 117
10/06/23 - edited
These rumors were almost pointing their fingers at Shang Junlin's nose, saying that 'if it weren't for your stirring up trouble, Subei wouldn't have suffered from such a severe drought. All of this was caused by you.'
The rumors were discovered early and were not yet widespread. Ironically, it was thanks to the common people from various regions that they were detected so quickly.
"Ah Yu mentioned setting up a suggestion box in various government offices before. The people can anonymously write down their thoughts and ideas and drop them into the box. These past few days, many officials have received letters about this matter in their suggestion boxes. Not only from the capital but also from various other places," Shang Junlin said without anger on his face when talking about this matter.
For an emperor, this sort of thing was normal. No matter what natural disasters or man-made disasters occur, there will always be those who like to place blame on those in power. Not to mention the previous emperors, all of them have faced similar situations.
"These people think that by placing the blame on His Majesty, they can achieve their goals," Shen Yu said as he poured tea for the two of them, pushing one of the cups towards Shang Junlin. "Regardless of their goals, they are doomed to fail."
Although Shen Yu had anticipated this sort of thing happening, he was still angry when it actually occurred. Shang Junlin had done his best for Da Huan, and after learning about the situation in Subei, he had made every effort to resolve the issue. However, in the end, all of this had become evidence used to attack him.
"Don't worry about it," Shang Junlin reached out and touched Shen Yu's cheek. "It's not a big deal. With Ah Yu's preventive measures, they can't stir up any storms. As soon as there were rumors, someone informed us right away, didn't they?"
"Although that may be true, I still don't want to hear them say bad things about His Majesty," Shen Yu said. Since he had guessed what those people were planning, he would not sit idly by. Whether it was through the suggestion box, the newspapers available to the public, or the special channels behind the scenes in the capital that spread news, he had made these preparations to deal with this situation.
The common people were the most easily swayed. Those people who wanted to incite their anger towards Shang Junlin would start by spreading rumors in the community, distorting the facts, and exaggerating certain parts to incite the people's anger, and then they would further smear Shang Junlin's reputation.
This sort of thing had happened more than once or twice. Shen Yu listed several examples, summarized their methods, and then resolved them one by one.
In fact, it was straightforward. The reason why the other party was able to succeed repeatedly was due to the lack of information among the people. They did not understand the court, and even less about Shang Junlin. All impressions were based on hearsay. Shen Yu would simply and directly tell them what the court had done, what Your Majesty had done, and why these things were necessary.
Compared to hearing from people they don't know, the common people obviously believe more in the information given by the court, after all, the precedent of suppressing the North is here, and they learned about the situation in the North from the court every day.
By eliminating the information gap that could be caused by the middleman passing on messages, the court directly disseminates information, which is more objective and direct. In addition, Shen Yu wrote some conspiracies in "Returning to Spring", which people will unconsciously remember after reading it. When they encounter similar situations, they can't help but think: Is this also a conspiracy like in the play?
In short, for various reasons, the situation did not develop as the behind-the-scenes manipulators had hoped but was reported to the court by the people who heard about it.
In a teahouse.
"It rained again in the capital last night. I don't know how the situation is in the north."
"The news that came back the other day was that it hadn't rained over there yet, but the supplies we raised are almost there. Hopefully, they can be put to use soon."
"Don't you think it's strange? It's raining everywhere, why isn't it raining in the north?" Suddenly, a stranger in a gray coat spoke up.
The person who was speaking suddenly became quiet. After a while, someone laughed and poured himself a cup of tea, "What's so strange about that? Rain in the capital last night doesn't mean it rained everywhere in Da Huan."
"Yeah, it's normal for the weather to be different in every place. Sometimes half of the capital is rainy while the other half is sunny. Not to mention last night, not all places had rain, right?"
"Yeah, my hometown didn't have any rain. I only learned about it from you today."
The gray-coated man lost the argument and wanted to say something else, but unfortunately, the people around had already moved on to other topics. They looked at him as if he was an uncultured man, and he was almost knocked off his feet.
"By the way, have you heard that the court is planning to open a school in the capital? They will not only enroll male students but also female students. It is said that they will teach many things, not limited to the imperial examinations, and you can also directly enter the Ministry of Public Works and other departments by passing the school's examination."
"Huh, my son can't even study well, and I had no hope for him before. If he can learn something else and work for the court, it's better than being stuck in the fields for a lifetime like me."
"Where did you hear this from? Is it reliable?"
"It's from the People's Daily<sup data-mfn="1">newspaper. But they only mentioned a little bit. The court is probably too busy with the situation in the north and can't spare the energy to work on this for now."
"Can women be enrolled as well? Can I send my daughter to the school?"
"No, don't you think it's against common sense for women to become officials?" The man in gray couldn't help but interrupt after listening to them talk for a long time, even starting to enthusiastically consider sending his own daughter to the academy.
"I don't understand why you're so strange, why do you think women can't be officials? In the play, Li Niang ended up becoming an official. She did much better than those corrupt officials who were men."
"But as you said, that's just in the play..."
"So what? I just like to imagine my daughter becoming a high-ranking official. If you don't like it, you don't have to listen."
"I have seen his daughter before, she's smart and cute, just like Li Niang. She will definitely be a good official in the future."
They were just chatting and having fun together. The middle-aged man was honest and kind-hearted, with only one daughter at home who was smart and likable. Everyone was happy to indulge him.
In fact, they were just joking around and no one took their words too seriously. Unfortunately, the man in gray didn't know that and thought they had truly accepted the idea of women becoming officials. He choked back his unspoken words.
He had wanted to say that it was against the natural order for women to be officials and that the drought in the north might be due to this reason. But now, he didn't dare to say anything.
"By the way, about the donation you mentioned earlier, shouldn't disaster relief be the responsibility of the court? Why do you have to contribute?"
"As citizens of Da Huan, we should do what we can. We can't always rely on the court for everything. Besides, the court is also doing its part."
The gray-coat man once again swallowed the words he wanted to say. He really didn't understand these people. Why did they always side with the court? Suddenly, he felt like they had become smarter. It wasn't this difficult to manipulate them before.
The atmosphere in the teahouse was still lively. The storyteller was telling a story adapted from news of the situation in the north. During this time, everyone was paying attention to what was happening in the North, and everyone loved hearing these kinds of stories.
After observing for a while longer and determining that there was no opportunity to take action, the man in gray left the teahouse in disappointment.
After he left, two men sitting nearby glanced at each other and followed him.
In the alley, the gray-coat man walked quickly, his head lowered. He had to report the news from this side as soon as possible. They seemed to have been deceived, and their original plan was impossible to carry out.
Suddenly, the gray-coat man in gray stopped.
Two men wearing similar clothes blocked his way, one on the left and the other on the right. "Excuse me, may we know the name of the gentleman in gray? Would you please come with us?"
"Who are you?" The gray-coat man eyed them warily.
"You'll know our identity once you come with us."
The gray-coat man realized that something was amiss and turned to run.
But the two men wouldn't let him go after they had been keeping an eye on him for days. They caught up to him quickly as the man in gray was not skilled in fighting, unlike the two men. They soon blocked his path again and, without saying a word, tied him up. "Another little mouse caught."
The gray-coat man was frightened when he saw how well-trained the two men were. They had done this sort of thing before, and he understood why so many people had been sent out by the court, but to no avail. The court was already prepared!
Unfortunately, he realized it too late and had no chance to inform his employer.
Even now, he clung to a glimmer of hope and said, "Did you two gentlemen mistake me for someone else? I don't know you, really. Why did you arrest me?"
"We don't need to know you, we just need to know what you've done."
The gray-coat man's heart sank, and he tried to say something else, but the impatient man next to him put his hand over his mouth.
He clapped his hands and said, "Why bother talking to him? Someone will question him when we get there. There, it's done."
The two men took the gray-coat man straight to the Court.
"Another one caught?"
"Yes, quite a few lately. I wonder if the master has gotten any useful information."
Along the way, the gray-coat man listened to the conversation between the two men and their colleague, his face filled with despair. Their plan was probably going to be a complete joke.
He did not know that things were far from over.
In the Yuzhang Palace.
Shen Yu sat by the window and poured himself a cup of tea. "Mu Xi, how's the situation outside the palace?"
"As the young master predicted, those people are lurking in places like taverns and tea houses, waiting for crowds to incite the common people. However, after our arranged people caught on to them a few times, the others figured it out and won't be fooled. Instead, they were caught by the Court. Many people have been caught."
"I was just saying, how could the common people suddenly have such a unified voice, it turns out that Ah Yu has been guiding them." Shang Junlin walked in from outside, with Meng Gonggong holding the memorial behind him.
"The reason why it can have such an effect is not only because His Majesty is devoted to the people, but also because the people's lives have been getting better and better since His Majesty ascended the throne. They are clear about it."
If there were no real achievements in the past, how could people be completely swayed by just a few words?
"In Ah Yu's heart, am I really that good?" Shang Junlin walked over.
Shen Yu was wearing a light blue wide-sleeved long robe today, with snow-white wrists extending from the large sleeves, playing with the tea set, exuding a romantic and free spirit.
Shang Junlin held Shen Yu's wrist and stroked it gently. The young man's skin was as smooth and delicate as fine white jade, making it hard to put him down.
"In my heart, His Majesty is naturally the best," Shen Yu picked up the tea that had been brewed with the other hand and fed it to Shang Junlin's lips. "This cup is to reward His Majesty."
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